1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is surface electric heating element assemblies and more particularly a flexing device for engaging terminal legs and connecting portions of a surface electric heating element for holding the element in a raised position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various hinge mechanisms and pivoting mechanisms had been proposed for engaging the terminal legs of an electric heating element. Examples of such pivot and hinge mechanisms can be found in the following patents:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. PATENTEE ______________________________________ 2,918,560 Kruse 3,171,946 Ammerman 3,171,947 McOrlly 3,213,266 Kirschke 3,248,518 Ogle Jr, et al 3,875,371 Skinner ______________________________________
In the use of a surface electric heating assembly, it is oftentimes desirable to be able to raise the heating element above the drip pan and to provide some mechanism for holding the element in the raised position while the drip pan is cleaned of debris and other matter which may have collected therein. An example of such a mechanism is disclosed in the Kirschke U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,266. In this U.S. Patent a surface electric heating element and reflector pan are hingedly mounted to a horizontal cooking surface. The terminal legs of the heating element extend through a flexible diaphragm. The diaphragm is flexed outwardly of a recess in the cooking surface when the heating element assembly is in a lower cooking position and is flexed through and into the recess in the cooking surface when the heating element assembly is raised thereby to hold the heating element in a raised position.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the flexing device of the present invention provides a simple flexible device for engaging the terminal legs and the portions which connect the terminal legs to the planar formation of a heating element and for resiliently and frictionally engaging the terminal legs and connecting portions when and as the heating element is raised, for holding the heating element in a raised position.